Ammunition magazine for firearms

ABSTRACT

An ammunition magazine for firearms for multiple types of cartridges with different calibers comprises a magazine body where a cartridge feeder fitted with a spring is movably arranged, while at least two pairs of opposite guide ribs are arranged on the inner wall of the magazine, namely rear guide ribs and central guide ribs. In the magazine body, on the inner wall of the magazine, at least one pair of opposite front guide ribs is arranged in front of the rear guide ribs and the central guide ribs, with the height of the front guide ribs being bigger than that of the rear guide ribs and of the central guide ribs.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The application claims the benefit of Czech Patent Application No. 2017-751, entitled “Ammunition Magazine for Firearms”, filed Nov. 22, 2017, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an ammunition magazine for firearms, designed especially to be used for different sizes of cartridges that have the same diameter of the bottom and a similar total length, but are different in the region around the bullet and the bearing cone of the cartridge case. Such magazines are intended for small-bore rifles, pistols, rifles, submachine guns and the like.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Various types of ammunition magazines, as, e.g., of rotary, drum, disk and box types, are known from the state of the art. Current box magazines are usually fitted with a pair of guide ribs for cartridges on its inner side. The ribs are used to guide cartridges in such a way as these cartridges should not touch the magazine wall with their entire surface.

Due to an unsuitable size of ribs for a certain cartridge type, current types of box magazines can cause 2 kinds of defects:

-   -   The rib size is too large, which means there is a smaller play         between the ribs, resulting in the cartridge getting stuck in         the magazine body during loading and unloading. This may cause         that, during the removal of cartridges from the magazine body,         the magazine spring is not able to completely push the         cartridges to the initial position necessary to feed the         cartridge to the cartridge chamber.     -   The rib size is small—the cartridges have a big play in the         magazine body after loading, which may lead to an unsuitable         position of cartridges in the magazine and a failure to feed         them to the cartridge chamber, or also inadvertent falling of         cartridges out of the magazine during handling. A small rib size         also causes an unpleasant noise during handling of the loaded         cartridge caused by free cartridges hitting the magazine body.

From the document US2015345882, whose owner is the company MAGPUL IND. CORP., an ammunition magazine is also known the inner wall of which is fitted with multiple ribs. However, these guide ribs are not intended to guide multiple types of cartridges, but to guide the feeder.

A general drawback of these magazines is that they can be created for a single cartridge type only. If various types of cartridges with a similar total length need to be used, the cartridges cannot be used in such a way to always exhibit a reliable function for multiple types of cartridges.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above mentioned drawbacks are to a considerable extent eliminated by an ammunition magazine for firearms for multiple types of cartridges with different calibers that consists of a magazine body where a cartridge feeder fitted with a spring is movably arranged, at least two pairs of opposite guide ribs being arranged on the inner wall of the magazine, namely rear guide ribs and central guide ribs, according to the invention the principle of which is that in the magazine body, on the inner wall of the magazine, at least one pair of opposite front guide ribs is arranged in front of the rear guide ribs and the central guide ribs, the height of the front guide ribs being bigger than that of the rear guide ribs and of the central guide ribs.

An ammunition magazine for firearms for multiple types of cartridges with different calibers comprises a magazine body where a cartridge feeder fitted with a spring is movably arranged, while at least two pairs of opposite guide ribs are arranged on the inner wall of the magazine, namely rear guide ribs (a) and central guide ribs (b). In the magazine body (1), on the inner wall (6) of the magazine (4), at least one pair of opposite front guide ribs (c) is arranged in front of the rear guide ribs (a) and the central guide ribs (b), the height of the front guide ribs (c) being bigger than that of the rear guide ribs (a) and of the central guide ribs (b).

The opposite front guide ribs can be fitted with a leading edge.

Also, the heights of the rear guide ribs and the central guide ribs can be different.

All the guide ribs on the inner wall of the magazine body can be created all along the wall length of the magazine body.

Such a minor change of the magazine at minimal costs allows a single magazine to be used for two and more types of cartridges that have the same length and equal diameter of the cartridge foot, but otherwise, the cartridges are of a different shape, especially in the region of transition between the bullet and the cartridge case.

Additional guide ribs may also contribute to a higher strength of the magazine body.

Another advantage of the claimed magazine is also the fact that by means of suitably arranged guide ribs, the magazine body firmly holds and carries the cartridges, the cartridge feeder moves relatively freely in the magazine body, virtually without any direct contact with the inner wall of the magazine body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The ammunition magazine for firearms according to the present invention will be described in a more detailed way with the use of a particular embodiment example with reference to attached drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows a general view of the magazine body without cartridges,

FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of the magazine body where the first type of cartridges is stored, and

FIG. 3 shows a cross-section of the magazine body where the second type of cartridges is stored.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The exemplary box ammunition magazine shown in FIG. 1 comprises a magazine body 1 where a cartridge feeder 2 is arranged that is fitted with a spring 3. The magazine body 1 is, on both the inner sides 5 of the cavity of the body 1, fitted with two pairs of guide ribs a, b to guide cartridges 4, namely a pair of rear guide ribs a in the rear part of the magazine body 1 to guide the cartridge 4 foot and a pair of central guide ribs b in the central part of the magazine body 1 to guide the central part of the cartridge 4. In the front part of the magazine body 1, in the place of seating of the cartridge bullet 7, the magazine body 1 is fitted with another pair of front guide ribs c on the inner sides 5 of the wall 6.

The height of the front guide ribs c is bigger than the height of the central and rear guide ribs a and b. The height of the ribs a and b may be the same or different, depending on the type of cartridges 4 intended to be inserted into the magazine body 1.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, when the first cartridge type is inserted, the cartridge 4 is held in the magazine body 1 in its bottom part by the pair of the rear guide ribs a and the pair of the front guide ribs c in the region of the bullet 7. In the location of the pair of the central guide ribs b, this first cartridge 4 type exhibits some play, namely play e. Thus, it is obvious that this first cartridge 4 type is not in contact with the pair of the central guide ribs b. Concerning fixation of the cartridge 4 in the magazine body 1, only the pairs of the rear guide ribs a and the front guide ribs c are functional in this case.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, when the second cartridge type is inserted, the cartridge 4 is held in the magazine body 1 in its bottom part by the pair of the rear guide ribs a again and further by the pair of the central guide ribs b, namely in the location of the central region of the cartridge 4. With this second cartridge 4 type, in the location of the pair of the front guide ribs c, there is some play, namely play f. So it is obvious that this second cartridge 4 type is not in contact with the pair of the front guide ribs c. In this case, concerning the fixation of the cartridge 4 in the magazine body 1, only the pairs of the rear guide ribs a and the central guide ribs b are functional.

The front guide ribs c designed to hold the region of the cartridge bullet 7 are provided with a leading edge 8. The leading edge 8 facilitates insertion and removal of the cartridge 4 into and from the magazine body 1. The leading edge 8 of the front guide ribs c extends from the inner side 5 of the wall 6 of the magazine body 1 to the peaks of the front guide ribs c.

The guide ribs a, b and c can be created on the inner side 5 of the wall 6 of the magazine body 1, all along the length of this inner side 5 of the wall 6 to firmly hold each of the cartridges 4 in the magazine body 1 to prevent the cartridges 4 from getting stuck in the magazine body 1 or from accidentally falling out, and to avoid unpleasant noise during handling of the magazine caused by the cartridges 4 hitting the magazine body 1.

The assembly of the pairs of ribs a, b, c according to this invention makes it possible to use a single magazine for more cartridge types.

The magazine can be used e.g. for at least two types of cartridges with a similar total length, in particular 5,56×45 NATO/223 Rem. and 7,62×35/300 AAC, which have a similar diameter of the cartridge foot and total length, but a different cartridge length and a different bullet shape.

The said embodiment of the invention is intended for two cartridge designs, but more guide ribs or their pairs can be suitably installed in the magazine body 1 to ensure reliable functionality for a bigger number of cartridge types.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

An ammunition magazine for firearms according to this invention can be applied to the use of arms by security forces, huntsmen etc. It is convenient everywhere that two and more cartridge types can be used.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

-   1—magazine body -   2—feeder -   3—spring -   4—cartridge -   5—inner side of the magazine wall -   6—magazine wall -   7—bullet -   8—leading edge -   a—rear guide ribs -   b—central guide ribs -   c—front guide ribs -   e—play between the central guide rib b and cartridge -   f—play between the front guide rib c and cartridge 

1. An ammunition magazine for firearms for multiple types of cartridges with different calibers comprises a magazine body where a cartridge feeder fitted with a spring is movably arranged, while at least two pairs of opposite guide ribs are arranged on the inner wall of the magazine, namely rear guide ribs and central guide ribs, wherein in the magazine body, on the inner wall of the magazine, at least one pair of opposite front guide ribs is arranged in front of the rear guide ribs and the central guide ribs, the height of the front guide ribs being bigger than that of the rear guide ribs and of the central guide ribs.
 2. The magazine according to claim 1, wherein the front guide ribs are provided with a leading edge.
 3. The magazine according to claim 1, wherein the heights of the rear guide ribs and the central guide ribs are different.
 4. The magazine according to claim 1, wherein the guide ribs (a, b, c) are created on the inner wall of the magazine body all along the length of the wall of the magazine body. 